GLEN COVE, N.Y., Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Kristen Gillman earned a come-from-behind 2-up victory over Brooke Mackenzie Henderson in the 36-hole championship match of the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship last weekend at the 6,297-yard, par-70 Nassau Country Club.
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140812/135569
"I kept hitting shots right into the pin," said Gillman, who is just 16 years old and has verbally committed to the University of Alabama in 2016.
The previous week she won the Junior PGA Championship by 11 shots. She earned berths in the 2015 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic and next month's Junior Ryder Cup in Scotland by virtue of her win.
Gillman is a student of Justin Poynter, the Director of Instruction, at the famed golf instructor Jim McLean's junior academy in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been a full time student at the Jim McLean Junior Academy since 8th grade and under Poynter's guidance, has earned her status among the best amateur players in the world.
The Jim McLean Junior Academy is a competitive learning environment with world-class instructors and facilities. It has become a catalyst for success of many young golfers who have attended and graduated from the program. Gillman is one of three JMJA female students that will play for Alabama and one hundred percent of the graduating seniors have gone on to receive full division 1 golf scholarships.
It has been a great year in USGA events for many Jim McLean students; Lucy Li becoming the youngest ever to qualify for the US Women's Open at age 11, Lexi Thompson competing to the end in the US Women's Open, Erik Compton's heroics in the men's US Open (finishing second following an amazing week) and now Gillman winning the Amateur has really topped off a great year of junior development turning into success!
The Jim McLean Golf Schools are rated #1 in the US and the headquarters are located at the new Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida.
You can follow Jim McLean on Twitter @McLeanGolf #1GolfSchool or visit www.jimmclean.com.
Contact
Grayson Zacker
305-591-6409